House and Senate approve legislation to release Epstein files : NPR

SCOTT DETROW, HOST:

In a watershed moment on Capitol Hill, the House and Senate approved a bill to release Jeffrey Epstein’s records. Nearly every member of the House voted yes, and then a few hours later the Senate set up a process to unanimously approve it. The rapid progress is a far cry from when Kentucky Republican Thomas Massie began pushing for the bill months ago.

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THOMAS MASSIE: We fought the president, the attorney general, the director of the FBI, the speaker of the House and the vice president to get this victory.

DETROW: President Trump said he would sign the measure, which marks a huge turnaround. We’re joined now by NPR Congressional Correspondent Claudia Grisales. Hi, Claudie.

CLAUDIA GRISALES, BYLINE: Hi, Scott.

DETROW: So Republicans rarely go against President Trump’s wishes. How did this happen for something that was so controversial for Republicans until a few days ago?

GRISALES: That’s true. This lasted for the better part of a year, and the sudden resolution was striking. First, some context. Massie has worked alongside California Democrat Ro Khanna, launching what’s called a release petition four months ago. It’s an arcane procedure that bypasses committees and leadership to force a floor vote with the signatures of a simple majority in the House, and they accomplished that goal last week. Trump fought them until last weekend as momentum shifted in their favor, which set the stage for the House to pass it 427 to 1. And now the Senate is moving pretty quickly. Minority Leader Chuck Schumer won unanimous consent to pass the bill automatically after it was sent through the House. Senate Majority Leader John Thune told reporters this evening that he expects that to happen tomorrow morning.

DETROW: Quickly aside, Claudia. I didn’t know that the Senate had the ability to automatically pass bills. I learned something today.

GRISALES: That’s true. Exactly. And usually that happens with non-controversial bills, low-key bills.

DETROW: Yeah.

GRISALES: It’s exactly the opposite.

DETROW: That’s right.

GRISALES: So it was very remarkable that the Republicans really wanted to turn the page on something that has taken so much oxygen…

DETROW: Let’s…

GRISALES: …Here in Washington.

DETROW: Let’s talk more about this. President Trump turned around and said his party should vote for this bill, after fighting it for months and very intensely. How have Republicans on the Hill approached this enormous change?

GRISALES: Well, House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters he had major problems with the process and he rejected claims that it was a reversal.

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MIKE JOHNSON: Having forced the vote, none of us want it to go on the record and be accused in any way of not being in favor of maximum transparency.

GRISALES: And he said he voted yes with a caveat. He expects the Senate to amend the bill to ensure survivors’ names are redacted, among other concerns. But Thune told us tonight that’s not necessary, especially after this landslide House vote.

DETROW: Epstein survivors were at the Capitol today. What did they have to say?

GRISALES: They told harrowing stories about the abuse they suffered, and many asked Trump to stop injecting politics into this fight. This includes Jena-Lisa Jones, who was once a Trump supporter. Let’s listen.

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JENA-LISA JONES: I voted for you, but your behavior on this issue has been a national embarrassment.

GRISALES: She said this fight has been painful because Trump has kept going back and forth about releasing the records. And when the bill finally passed the House, survivors in the gallery erupted in joy and emotional applause.

DETROW: Another big player here is Georgia Republican Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, a longtime ally of President Trump who pushed for this bill to move forward, leading to a fairly high-profile breakup.

GRISALES: That’s true. After that encounter, Greene faced a pipe bomb threat. His son received a death threat. Today, she said she fought for Trump for six years and gave him her loyalty for free.

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MARJORIE GREENE: I never owed him anything, but I fought for him for politics and for America First. And he called me a traitor for supporting these women.

GRISALES: And she says this fight has now torn the MAGA movement apart. And as a reminder, Trump and Republicans made releasing these records a top priority during last year’s election campaign, and Democrats added fuel to the fire by pushing for it.

DETROW: What happens next?

GRISALES: President Trump is expected to sign the bill tomorrow. It will then be up to the Department of Justice to interpret what can and should be redacted and what can actually be made public. It’s unclear how long this might take.

DETROW: NPR’s Claudia Grisales, thank you very much.

GRISALES: Thank you.

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